Anna Gülcher
Postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, USA
I am a computational Earth and planetary scientist. My research focuses on – but is not restricted to – the interior and tectonic processes that shape rocky planets (e.g., Venus and Earth). I aim to put observations from geophysics, space, geology, and geo/cosmo-chemistry in a physics-based framework using numerical modelling techniques. I am involved in ESA/NASA‘s EnVision space mission to Venus via the Radio Science and Gravity Experiment team, and I am a member of the ‘International Team on Venus Seismicity‘ from The International Space Science Institute (ISSI).
I am further passionate about project management, science communication, and diversity, with a performance history record of organisation, leadership, and outreach skills. This is reflected in various professional service roles, such as in the Geodynamics Division of the European Geosciences Union (past) and NASA’s Venus Exploration Analysis Group Steering Committee (present). I aim to contribute to a more open, diverse, and inclusive community for scientists.
- anna.guelcher@erdw.ethz.ch
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Inst. of Geophysics, NO H25, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
- Geodynamics
- Numerical modelling
- Mantle convection & tectonics
- Rocky planets & habitability
- Project management
- Organisation and leadership
- Science communication & outreach
- Diversity and equity
Find out more
Experience
California Institute of Technology; NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, USA
SNF-awarded fellowship: ‘Plume-induced rift tectonics on Venus’
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
PhD dissertation: Shaping Earth’s interior evolution through chemical and rheological heterogeneity in the lower mantle
Institute of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
MSc thesis: Plume penetration into Venusian lithosphere and the origin of coronae: inferences from 3D thermo-mechanical modelling
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
BSc thesis: Obtaining a high resolution geomagnetic field intensity curve for the Azores region, the IZZI-Thellier approach
Highlights
- Wrote seven first-authored papers and contributed to several book chapters, scientific software, and science outreach
- Proposed widespread, recent mantle plume activity on Venus by integrating numerical model results with planetary mission data
- Developed key scenarios for the long-term evolution of Earth’s mantle, with major implications for our planet’s tectonic history
- Presented the first global-scale mantle convection models including a new strain-dependent rheology in the lower mantle
- Accommodating scientific discussions in the form of conference/ workshop organisation and session convening
- Actively aiming to contribute to enhancing diversity and integrity in the scientific community and STEM
SNF Postdoctoral Fellowship
Swiss National Science Foundation-awarded grantfor a 2-year postdoc fellowship at CalTech/NASA JPL
EGU Outstanding Presentation Award
Outstanding Student Poster Presentation award at the EGU General Assembly 2019, Geodynamics division
ETH Zurich MSc. thesis medaille
Award for the best Master’s thesis in the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zürich in 2018
PhD defence celebration
ETH Zurich Excellence Master Scholarship
Excellence Scholarship for my full MSc degree at the Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich
Molengraaff Fonds
TU Delft research fund for carrying out paleomagnetic fieldwork for my BSc thesis research in the Azores
MSc graduation